MEDIA RELEASE: Top young meat sheep judges named for 2025 National Championships

The best young judges of meat sheep in Australia have been announced by Agricultural Shows Australia to compete in the national championships in September.

The 2025 National Championships is being hosted by the SA Country Shows at the Royal Adelaide Show from 1-6 September 2025 and includes paraders of beef and dairy cattle, young judges of beef and dairy cattle, grain, Merino sheep and fleece, meat sheep breeds, and poultry, as well as the Australian Young Farmers Challenge, and National Rural Ambassador Award.

The National Championships brings together the best of the best in rural talent, community spirit, and industry excellence: young judges and paraders aged from 15 to 25 representing each state who will gather to compete in the annual competition. Qualification is via success in competitive regional and state competitions. 

Meet the six finalists in the Meat Sheep Breeds Judging final.

TASMANIA | Olivia Baker, 16, Oatlands 

Year 11 student Olivia Baker works in shearing sheds as a wool handler and is completing a Certificate 4 in Wool Classing at TAFE. 

She began competing in the Young Judges competition in 2024 at Campbell Town Show to gain experience in judging fleece and meat sheep - and was instantly hooked. 

Olivia enjoys helping her Pop on the farm, crediting his love of agriculture as one of her biggest motivations. 

"I have always loved being on the farm with my grandfather and learning from him, he has been a huge inspiration to me and I will be forever grateful for his knowledge and what he has passed onto me. Placing in the Young Judges competition and getting the opportunity to go to South Australia in 2025 is by far my proudest show achievement so far."

NEW SOUTH WALES | Miranda McGufficke, 24, Cooma

Miranda McGufficke manages genomic data for her family's seedstock business and recently completed a Bachelor of Animal Science at the University of New England. 

She works on a remote NT cattle station as part of a graduate program with an agricultural investment group. 

A lifelong show supporter, Miranda grew up entering cooking and wool exhibits with her grandfather and now volunteers alongside her sisters running entertainment, school art projects, and the farmers challenge. 

A 2022 NSW Rural Achiever, she also runs an art business with her sisters, 3 Little Sheep, inspired by their flock of playful poddy lambs.

"I am very thankful for all the opportunities that have been created by having a go and participating in the junior judging. The personal development I have seen in myself is one of the key reasons why participating and learning from these competitions is so important for young people. It is more than judging well-presented animals and commodities, it is about gaining confidence in public speaking and stepping out of your comfort zone."

QUEENSLAND | Emma Haupt, 19, South Brisbane 

Emma Haupt's show journey kicked off at school, joining the show team with her sister. She quickly found her stride in meat sheep judging, making it to the state finals four times and underjudging at local shows. 

Since graduating school, Emma's kept busy in the ring - helping breeders prep their sheep, supporting young judges, and stepping up as a judge and associate. She juggles studying for a Bachelor of Business with a retail job, but plans to stay hands-on in the show world for years to come.

"I started competing in 2016 when I was in year 5, after I went to a show to watch my sister judge. I guessed the order of the sheep and ended up getting it correct. After that I learnt how to judge, ready for the next show. At the next show I came third in Young Judges and really enjoyed the whole experience. From there I have competed in heaps of events winning a variety of placings. My most successful placings include first place at Brisbane Royal, and champion and reserve champion at the state finals in Toowoomba."

VICTORIA | Nerissa James, 19, Bittern

Nerissa is in her second year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, majoring in Livestock Production, at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. 

Her love for sheep and showing began at school where she exhibited sheep across Victoria, gaining both glory in the ring and valuable industry connections. 

In 2024, she started her Agricultural Science degree and launched her own small Corriedale stud.

"My link to agriculture is rather unconventional, as I didn't originally come from a farming background. In high school, I became very interested in my school's agricultural program, particularly in the student-run Corriedale sheep stud. I was heavily committed to the sheep team throughout secondary school and held multiple leadership positions, including managing the stud for three years from 2020-2022. During this time, I enjoyed working with my team to develop and achieve our breeding objectives, managing flock health and nutrition, and bringing younger members up into the program by teaching them all the knowledge I had gained throughout the years."

SOUTH AUSTRALIA | Jacob Scales, 19, Robe

Jacob is a full-time farmhand with strong ties to the sheep industry through work on stations north of Broken Hill and with Jumbuck Pastoral. 

His love for showing began during his time at Urrbrae Agricultural High School, where he was involved in the show team and competed in breeder, handler, and young judging classes across local shows and the Royal Adelaide Show. Jacob has been involved in meat sheep judging since 2020. 

He hopes to one day run his own mixed farming enterprise, featuring Stud Australian Whites, White Suffolks, Shorthorns, and commercial operations.

"The best moments I've had at shows are not receiving a ribbon, while they are excellent. Success at shows is all the losses and the growth and learning throughout showing livestock. Those moments of winning, like at the 2024 Adelaide Royal in Young Judges, just makes the win even better knowing that the hard work paid off. Those are the best moments."

WESTERN AUSTRALIA | Brendan Lamont, 24, Tambellup

After attending agricultural college, Brendan honed his skills through junior judging competitions at local country shows. Brendan credits his former teacher, Mr Colin Batt, for encouraging him to step into the ring and get involved in the competition. 

His best show moment? Winning Supreme Breed with his IIe-de-France ewe at Wagin Woolorama earlier this year.

Jacqueline (Jac) Wilson-Smith, Chair of Agricultural Shows Australia - the peak body representing 572 agricultural shows that attract six million visitors annually and contribute nearly $1 billion to the national economy - describes the competition as a celebration of emerging talent in livestock judging across the country.

"This is an incredibly prestigious event, and earning a spot in the nationals is highly sought after," Jac said.

"These young competitors represent the future of agricultural show competitions, which play a vital role in advancing Australia's food and fibre industries. The nationals offer an exciting chance for participants to grow both personally and professionally while testing their skills against the very best."

The Australian White Suffolk Association (AWSA) is proud to sponsor the 2025 Agricultural Shows Australia Meat Breeds Sheep Judging National Final at the Royal Adelaide Show.

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the AWSA, and with White Suffolks being the Feature Breed at the Royal Adelaide Show, AWSA President Peter Angus said it is certainly fitting to support the final.

"Encouraging youth involvement and providing learning and developmental opportunities is very important to create a succession plan for future judges and industry leaders," he said. 

"We support programs which encourage youth participation, education and networking to upskill and increase the confidence of young people with a keen interest in the sheep industry, like this competition."

As a past South Australian winner in 1996, the experience has provided Peter with the self-belief to undertake sheep judging appointments at country and royal shows across Australia over the last three decades.

The Meat Sheep Breeds Judging will be held at 9am on Friday September 5. More on the competition here.

For more information, please contact Katie Stanley, Executive Officer, Agricultural Shows Australia: execofficer@agshowsaustralia.org.au | 0402 127 001. 

Media are invited to attend the National Championships finals to capture the action and excitement.